With a thick and highly variable mixture of glacial and nonglacial soils overlying bedrock, punctuated by seismically active fault zones, Seattle is a challenging arena for geologists, engineering geologists, and geotechnical engineers. Because of this geologically complex stratigraphy, Seattle has a higher density of geoprofessionals and subsurface explorations than other cities of equal size. Even so, the subsurface always delivers surprises when construction begins. By visiting three major civil works, SR 520 floating bridge, Alaskan Way Viaduct/SR 99 tunnel, and the Beacon Hill Transit tunnel, you will discover the interaction between Seattle geology and the engineering that made these projects successful.

The new high-speed, high-capacity Treviglio-Brescia railway line is an integral part of the Trans-European Transport Network, the “Mediterranean Corridor,” and constitutes a critical stage in the construction of the high-speed, high-capacity Milan-Verona railway line, which extends a total of 140 km, 27 km of which have been in operation between Milan and Treviglio since 2007. The activities currently under way include the construction of a railway line covering a distance of ~52 km between Treviglio and Brescia, and the completion of a series of complementary projects to mitigate the interference with other infrastructures (e.g., canals, underground utilities) and new road systems. Geological investigations have been necessary during the course of the work, to manage excavations and excavated materials, to manage abandoned waste encountered along the line, and for remediation of contaminated sites. In addition to the characterization of the project area, data collected have contributed to the Environmental Monitoring Plan issued by the Consorzio Eni per l’Alta Velocità (CEPAV Due), which will monitor for potential environmental impacts caused by the execution of the project, particularly related to the soil, surface water, and groundwater, and the project measures needed to reduce environmental impact. This paper provides an overview of the activities carried out so far, as illustrated with some case studies.

Collapse of masonry buildings still accounts for most earthquake casualties in developing countries, even though effective earthquake-resistant building techniques are available. The amateur builders and local contractors who are responsible for most housing and small-scale commercial construction are typically unaware of these techniques, or they believe that prohibitively expensive engineering design and materials are required. However, the principal technique—confined masonry—is highly effective for nonengineered buildings of less than three stories, and it involves only modest changes in customary building practices. I developed a 2 hour workshop to teach local builders in Guatemala earthquake-resistant construction techniques. Simple graphics with minimal captions and photographs of local buildings were used to show basic design principles, and to illustrate best versus poor practices. Printed manuals (in Spanish and illustrated for a low-literacy audience) were provided, for later reference and the possibility of wider dissemination. The most challenging aspect of this project was developing a working relationship with a local organization willing and able to assist with scheduling, publicity, and generally connecting me with appropriate audiences. My experience suggests that effective teaching is the most critical tool for providing meaningful assistance with a range of geologic and environmental challenges. Expert knowledge, fluency in local languages, and years of local experience are all useful but can be provided or developed through relationships with local partners. Targeted education addressing specific community needs can be highly effective for increasing resilience to natural hazards, and it represents a more-efficient and lower-cost alternative to many other forms of development aid.

The reuse of traditional construction materials attests to their high value over the long term. In fact, the practice has always demonstrated the inherent value of traditional raw materials and their products in confronting the issues of sustainability, in the broader sense of preserving resources – material and immaterial – for future generations. Throughout the history of building, the symbolic value of spolia (i.e. the use of ancient architectural elements in new construction) has gone hand-in-hand with the practice of recycling, demonstrating, at various levels, an intrinsic awareness of reuse as a tool for minimizing waste of materials and energy. Today, sustainability is rarely considered from a long-term perspective, and when it is, the approach tends to be from a broad theoretical standpoint. In the past, however, it was a common and necessary aspect of construction management, when the waste of materials was a forbidden luxury. This paper presents a review of the reuse of geomaterials, mainly stone, throughout the Italian history of construction, indicating major examples selected for their value as memorable references, describing common practices from antiquity to modern times, and concluding with a description of the actual state of the art of the practice, based on very recent and outstanding cases.

In Germany, a quantity of more than 10 million metric tons of masonry rubble is generated per year. With regard to a sustainable closed substance cycle waste management, these rest masses have to be recovered if possible. The end-of-life (EOL) phase of masonry includes the planning steps of demolition, processing and application. The choice of the most sustainable solution raises questions regarding material technology, plant engineering, economic efficiency and ecological issues. For this purpose, a methodological concept for a holistic assessment of the EOL phase of masonry is developed within the scope of a doctoral thesis. For the assessment the Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) is adapted. The assessment concept enables a holistic comparison of different EOL scenarios for masonry while integrating all planning steps. It combines Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), Life Cycle Working Environment (LCWE), economic evaluation methods and material testing. In future, various scenarios can be evaluated with regard to the goals of the European and German waste management industry.

Residual sludge from dimension-stone working plants, both from gangue saws with abrasive shot and frame saws, is classified as waste and presents a number of problems for the stone industry. These problems include a fine size distribution, heavy metals and total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) content, all of which impede recovery and reuse. Residual sludge, management of which is administered in accordance with the Italian Legislative Decree 152/06, can be used in waste form for environmental restoration or for cement plants. However, it is also possible that sludge applications could go beyond these limited uses with incorporation of systematic treatment for the production of secondary raw materials (SRM), for example, filler, or for ‘new products’, for example, artificial loam. Such new products or SRM have to be certified not only on the basis of their technical and physical characteristics but also by means of appropriate chemical analyses to guarantee that the products are not contaminated.This paper outlines the results from laboratory and in situ characterization of residual sludge. In particular, three potential applications of sludge either by itself or mixed with other materials were evaluated: landfill waterproofing material, filler material for civil works and artificial soil for land rehabilitation.

Earth construction is the oldest building material known, with documented cases of the use of earth bricks since Mesopotamia around 10 000 BC. Earth construction exists throughout most of the world in different cultures, and for some countries it continues to be the main process of construction. Around 30% of the world’s population lives in buildings made from earth materials. Earthen construction is an environmentally friendly technique with a social and cultural contribution; this advantage is increased when this type of construction is applied in developing countries where the material costs counterbalance the labour costs, and where other materials and techniques are not available. Studies of material characteristics are required in order to understand the composition and specific properties of earth buildings, their heterogeneity and their degradation mechanisms. Results from two different types of adobes that represent these material characteristics in Aveiro district are shown, owing to the importance of determining and acknowledging the main characteristics of adobe buildings in order to have sufficient information to initiate conservation and rehabilitation actions.

The knowledge that societies have of their geological environment and of the materials used in their heritage is of great importance for the sustainable use and conservation of traditional natural stone architecture. Similar weathering mechanisms occur in natural environments and the built environment and, in both cases, weathering may endanger both natural and built heritage. The Sierra de Guadarrama (Spanish Central System) is a privileged area in which natural and built heritage coexist. This paper describes an area of particular monumental and geological interest on the northern slopes of the Sierra de Guadarrama; its main aim is to propose an itinerary for members of the public, presented as a route through the area around Segovia, in which architecture/cultural heritage and an Earth sciences approach are brought together with an educational purpose. To this end, some connections are established between weathering forms in natural and built environments, as well as between the lithological characteristics of the rocks used in construction of ancient monuments in the area and the distribution of stresses and loads of walls.

Natural stone was the primary building material in Cyprus in the past. Nowadays, its use is mostly confined to decorative purposes and restoration projects. This study represents the first thorough and systematic investigation of the characteristics of local carbonate stone. The variety of the results recorded highlights the complexity of this natural geomaterial and, hence, the particular attention needed before selecting the appropriate lithotype in construction practice. Stones coming from the same geological formation exhibit significant variations in their physico-mechanical properties. The materials’ durability against salt crystallization is explained with reference to their pore structure and flexural strength, revealing that, in many cases, small differences may have a significant impact on stone performance. The study also investigates the use of novel microdestructive techniques in the prediction of the mechanical properties of the stones under study. These techniques can be especially useful in the characterization of monumental stone, where sampling is limited, or when in situ characterization of stone is required.

The Netherlands, with only scarce occurrences of outcropping or shallow buried natural stone, has over centuries imported huge quantities of Early Cretaceous Bentheim Sandstone and Obernkirchen Sandstone from Germany. The present paper provides an overview of their distribution and properties relevant to their use as building stone, and their mutual differences and comparative weathering. Evidence in Dutch architecture for the onset of quarrying of the Bentheim Sandstone is presented, and an overview is given of the use of Bentheim Sandstone and Obernkirchen Sandstone in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The semiarid plain of Lower Khuzestan, SW Iran, is drained by three active rivers: Karun, Karkheh, and Jarrahi. In this study, the history of this apparently homogeneous topographic landscape was investigated for the first time in detail through surficial geology and archaeological mapping. The results of satellite image, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM), and aerial photograph analyses reveal several phases of paleochannels, relict fans, and large lobate landforms associated with the present-day rivers. In addition to this, a wealth of archaeological canals, of various types and shapes, and sites has been detected. Correlations of archaeological features with environmental attributes in a geographical information system (GIS) show that the spatial distribution of the settlements and canals was closely related to the dynamic nature of the rivers. With the available data, keys to interpret the changes of the rivers are presented and a relative chronology is suggested for the evolution of the landscape of the plain.

Sustainable archaeological practice involves the efficient performance of archaeological work in areas affected by development interests. In urban settings, planning agencies have recognized that geoarchaeological strategies are time and cost efficient. Deep testing methods minimize footprints to generate stratigraphic models that inform on past native environments, subsequent landscape change, absolute chronology, and site formation. When coupled with background historic and environmental data, geoarchaeological probing supplements or even precludes the need for costly excavation. In this study, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Capital Construction Company (MTACC) sponsored the drilling and detailed stratigraphic analysis of four deep borings in preparation for a new subway tunnel in New York City. A more expansive set of boring samples was taken by the MTACC for geotechnical purposes. Our stratigraphic construct facilitated “retrofitting” of the MTACC observations to develop a laterally extensive baseline sequence. An allostratigraphic model was developed for a ten-block length of the Upper East Side of Lower Manhattan on the strength of radiocarbon dates and ethnobotanic and malacological analyses. Finally, geographic information system (GIS) modeling generated a series of time slices chronicling the transformation of the project area from Late Glacial times through the area's prehistoric and historic past.

This paper is a case history of coastal development at Camp Ellis, Saco, Maine. It begins in 1867 with dredging and jetty construction at the mouth of the Saco River to facilitate commercial navigation. Beach accretion, resulting from tidal delta collapse, was followed by residential development before the ephemeral nature of the shoreline was recognized. A misunderstanding of the riverine source of beach sand and the net, northward direction of longshore transport confounded U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) efforts to maintain navigation and the adjacent beach. Beach erosion at Camp Ellis claimed dozens of properties before the role of the north jetty at the mouth of the Saco River became apparent to state and university scientists. Erosion also led to sand migration to the north and to the closure of the Little River inlet and growth of Pine Point spit. This spit was later developed and a jetty was placed at its tip to preclude continued accretion into the Scarborough River inlet. Despite numerous studies, the USACOE failed to recognize the connection between beach erosion at Camp Ellis and beach accretion at Pine Point. Under political pressure, the USACOE recently conducted detailed modeling studies and has proposed construction of breakwaters seaward of Camp Ellis to solve the problem. A discussion of the pros and cons of this proposal is presented in light of the long history of development at Camp Ellis.

As a result of the natural setting plus poor development and management decisions, the town of North Topsail Beach on Topsail Island, North Carolina, is the state's most vulnerable barrier-island community. It is our view that this very narrow, low, and duneless island community is the most hazardous on the U.S. East Coast. Although most of North Topsail Beach was designated a CoBRA unit under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982, the area has been developed extensively (mostly post-1980), starting with “mom and pop” beach cottages, and evolving into large single-family rental houses, duplexes, and several medium- and high-rise hotels and condos. Over the years, North Topsail Beach has experienced property losses from storm surge, overwash, flooding, inlet migration, new inlet formation, and chronic shoreline erosion. The single evacuation road crosses seven swash channels and is flooded early in every significant storm. A political cauldron has evolved, often featuring the front-row property owners versus those behind the front row, in which this middle-class town seeks to solve its problems. Debate centers on beach erosion problems, including proposed beach nourishment; exemptions to banned shore hardening; and construction of a proposed terminal groin and inlet channel realignment.

Southeast Florida's beaches, which are heavily developed and imperiled by rising sea level, continue to be seriously mismanaged and uneconomically maintained and to generate increasing environmental stress for adjacent marine habitats. Broward County heads the list of counties that stretch from St. Lucie southward to Miami-Dade. Five serious problems plague the stability of these barrier-island shorelines: inlet disruption of littoral drift; beach management that enhances shore erosion (lack of shore vegetation, inappropriate vehicular traffic, and structural protections that enhance erosion); historically very poor-quality renourishment sediment (in size and durability); strong resistance by coastal engineering and dredging firms and counties to embrace an understanding of sandy shore dynamics; and a philosophy that renourishment projects are a solve-all management approach to maintaining beaches and protecting infrastructure. This has led to seriously destabilized beaches, overly aggressive beachfront development, major economic waste, and severe environmental degradation to adjacent marine waters and associated valuable sandy bottom and hard-bottom communities. Many of these sandy shorelines may well not survive this global warming century of rapidly rising sea level. It is economically and environmentally critical for both the future risks to be understood and for lessons from the repeated failed history of beach management to be learned. Continued mismanagement will shorten the inhabitable lifetime of this developed sandy coast by decades and at great economic and environmental cost.

Through federal funding under the Stafford Act, private beachfront property and public infrastructure on the west end of Dauphin Island, Alabama, have repeatedly been restored following tropical storm impacts. The island has two distinct geomorphological portions due to the protection of the offshore ebb-tidal delta. The lower western end has become a prime target for beachfront development and consequently the recipient of the bulk of the federal largesse. It is clear that failed public policy at every level, local, state and federal, has contributed to an irresponsible fiscal commitment to constant redevelopment. Serious review and revision of the Stafford Act is recommended as a consequence of these considerations.

Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula have experienced a well-documented history of shoreline and bay shoreline change ranging from +3.63 m/yr to −1.95 m/yr. By integrating core, Light detection and ranging (LIDAR), and coastal change data, we develop a sand budget that attempts to quantify long-term sand sources (e.g., fluvial sand cannibalization through transgression) and sinks (washover fans, offshore sand bodies, and flood-tidal deltas). These results are then considered in light of anthropogenic influences (e.g., beach-nourishment projects, coastal engineering structures, and dredging operations) in an attempt to relate natural versus human influence on coastal change. Our findings suggest that hurricane washover (Galveston Island = 0.4 m/100 yr; Bolivar Peninsula varies from 0.154 m/100 yr to 0.095 m/100 yr) and offshore sand deposits are minimal long-term sand sinks. Flood-tidal deltas, however, appear to be major locations for natural sand sequestration. We also conclude that damming of rivers has had minimal impact on the upper Texas coast, although hard structures, such as the Galveston seawall and its groins, have exacerbated erosion along a shoreline that is currently sand starved. The impact of hard structures has mainly been one of trapping sand in locations where that sand would not have naturally accreted. Sand supply is minimal, so understanding and developing a better sand budget for the Texas coast are vital to sustainability.

Investigation and design-build construction of the Highway 20 realignment through the Oregon Coast Range provides new insight into paleo-landslides of the Tyee Formation and their slope stability. They are widespread, often extending outside of current drainage basins, and much of their morphology has been almost completely hidden by surficial processes. Radiocarbon tests indicate that some of the slide features are older than the testing limits, while other results range from approximately 18,000 to 40,000 yr B.P. The depth of erosion suggests that the paleo-slides may be as old as Pliocene.Geotechnical models of the paleo-slides, needed to analyze potential construction impacts, are developed from subsurface explorations, construction outcrops, radiocarbon testing, monitoring of geotechnical instruments, and geomorphology revealed by light detection and ranging (LIDAR). The process of predicting landslide boundaries (head scarps, toes, lateral and basal shear zones, etc.) for stability analysis of specific landslides has revealed details of their geologic evolution. This field trip provides background on (a) the investigations that have exposed numerous giant paleo-landslides, (b) findings and interpretations of the age of the landslides and (c) methods that are being employed to mitigate landslide reactivation.

Development along the coasts of Oregon and Washington is threatened by a variety of natural hazards, including coastal erosion, landslides, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Property losses have increased significantly in recent years due to past land-use and management practices and an intensification of the physical processes that drive coastal change. This field trip will visit a number of sites that document or illustrate the processes that shape Pacific Northwest coastal geomorphology and create hazards, including potentially catastrophic tsunamis generated by the Cascadia subduction zone. New research documenting ocean processes (including the role of changing wave climates, storm surges, El Nino's, and sea-level rise), tsunamis, and the effects of coastal subduction caused by great earthquakes will be covered. Also examined is the human response, which includes constructing coastal engineering structures, the establishment of coastal “erosion” hazard zones, and various mitigation efforts that are being implemented to prepare for future tsunamis. The field trip concludes on the southern Washington coast at Cape Disappointment State Park adjacent to the Columbia River, where construction of the Columbia River jetties, river flow regulation, and dredging and disposal activities have affected the sediment budget of the Columbia River littoral cell, resulting in changing sediment conditions and management practices for this cell.

The field trip covers three short walks through downtown San Francisco focusing on the events that occurred in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake. The first walk is in the South of Market area, located on artificially filled ground of the old Mission Bay marshland. The second walk follows the path of the fire as it spread out of the South of Market area on to Market Street. The third walk is along Montgomery Street, located on the old shoreline of Yerba Buena Cove, and follows the progress of the fire as it crossed Market Street northward into the Financial District. The wetlands bordering the bay were prime real estate, and by 1906 about a sixth of the city was built on artificial fill. The highest concentration of damage to buildings by ground shaking and liquefaction caused by the earthquake occurred here. Throughout this area, water, sewer, and gas lines were ruptured, and it was the location of most of the 52 fires that flared up in the city after the earthquake. The main objective of the field trip is to evaluate the lessons we have learned from building on poorly engineered ground within a major metropolitan center in a seismically active area.The settlement of Yerba Buena was established in the 1830s along the margin of a sheltered cove in San Francisco Bay. The port attracted settlers, and by 1847 the population had gradually increased to almost 500. Early maps drawn of the town showed the streets crisscrossing the